United Church of God, an International Association .......... The Nature of God and Christ Doctrinal Study Paper Approved by the Council of Elders August 2005 All scriptures are quoted from The Holy Bible, New King James Version (© 1988 Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee) unless otherwise noted. THE NATURE OF GOD AND CHRIST Doctrinal Study Paper Table of Contents Page Classical Trinitarian View of the Godhead 4 Question of Origins 5 Summary of Principal Views on the Origin of Christ 6 OLD TESTAMENT SECTION 6 The Tetragrammaton 6 The Shema and the “Oneness” of God 8 God (Elohim) in the Plural or Collective Sense 11 Anthropomorphic or Amorphical God 11 The God of the Old Testament 12 Theophanies 14 Angel of God’s Presence and YHWH 15 Who Was Married to Israel? 17 Who Led Israel to the Promised Land?—The 1 Corinthians 10:4 Question 19 NEW TESTAMENT SECTION 20 Neoplatonic, Gnostic and Jewish Concepts of the Logos 20 The Biblical Origin of the Logos 23 The Logos as the Agent of Creation 24 The Only Begotten Son of God 25 The Logos Empties Himself of Glory 26 The Logos Is Identified as Jesus Christ in Revelation 27 Christ’s Testimony of Glory He Shared With the Father 27 The Testimony of David Is Verified by Christ 28 Preexistence of Christ Confirmed by the Priesthood of Melchizedek 29 Christ’s Testimony of His Preexistence 31 Jesus Was Worshipped (Yet Only God Is to Be Worshipped) 32 The Testimony of Peter 32 God’s Purpose for Creating Humankind 33 Christ the Redeemer 34 God’s Purpose for Humanity 35 “One” (Greek Heis/Hen) God in the New Testament 36 Trinitarian View of the “Oneness” of God 37 The Son Is the Express Image of the Father 38 Christ as the Beginning of the Creation of God 39 Christ and the Comforter 40 Biblical View of the “Oneness” of God 40 Conclusion 41 Appendix A: An Analysis of John 1:1 43 Appendix B: An Analysis of Echad and the Phrase “Is One” 47 Appendix C: Use of Plural Terms in the Old Testament 51 Appendix D: The Issue of Plurality in Jewish Writings 56 Appendix E: Were the First-Century Jews Strict Monotheists? 59 Appendix F: Explicit Scriptures? 62 Appendix G: Genesis 19:24 and Plurality 67 Page 2 September 2005 © 2005 United Church of God, an International Association THE NATURE OF GOD AND CHRIST Doctrinal Study Paper ho is God and what is His nature? Who is Jesus Christ and what is His nature? The principal doctrinal issues that surround discussions on the nature of God and Christ Wcenter on the questions of origins, oneness and the incarnation. Each of these topics presents its unique set of questions, but at the same time, they are all intricately related to each other. For example, a discussion on the origin of the Father leads to the question of the origin of the Son, which leads to the question of how the Father and Son can be one. This leads to the question of how any divine being can be made flesh and yet retain His divinity. Over the centuries theologians and Bible students have developed various doctrinal positions on these issues. The word “theology” is derived from the Greek words theos (deity) and logos (word or discourse, reckoning, account), literally “God speak” or “God discourse.”1 Narrowly defined, theology portends to study the origin and essential being of God. Thus, when theologians speak of the nature of God, they are addressing the essential nature of His being. That is, what are the essential characteristics of His being and what is the relationship of the Son to the eternal Father? This definition stands in sharp contrast to what most people are thinking when they speak of the nature of God. They speak of God in terms of His love, mercy and goodness. These are characteristics of God that define who He is and how He views us and how we relate to Him, but theologians are not addressing these characteristics when they speak about the nature of God. They are seeking to explain His essential being as distinct from the characteristics and qualities that define God’s revelation of Himself. The classic Trinitarian position of three persons in the Godhead has become the hallmark of orthodoxy. However, this study will show that the biblical revelation of the nature of God and Christ stands in sharp contrast to the extrabiblical paradigms that are espoused by theologians. The purpose of this study is to ground Christians in the vital truths that center on the nature of God and Christ—for in these vital truths, God’s wonderful purpose for humanity is revealed. In spite of the things that we can know about the nature of God and Christ, there is much that we cannot know. We are discussing spiritual matters that are beyond our ability as physical beings to completely comprehend. The apostle John explains that there are things that have “not yet been revealed.” “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2). Throughout the paper we have chosen to use the term being when referring to the Father and the Son. While one can debate the issue of the use of “being” or “person” by theologians, this paper has chosen to use the word being when referring to the Father and the Son in the sense of two self-conscious individuals, each possessing free will, though unified in spirit and purpose (John 10:30). We believe that there is only one God not two, but that there are two individuals in the one Godhead. 1 Geerhardus Vos (1862-1949), Biblical Theology and Redemptive Historical Hermeneutics, glossary. Page 3 September 2005 © 2005 United Church of God, an International Association THE NATURE OF GOD AND CHRIST Doctrinal Study Paper Classical Trinitarian View of the Godhead Trinitarianism is largely the work of theologians who attempt to explain the nature of God from an extrabiblical perspective. Many of their paradigms and arguments are drawn from Greek metaphysical and philosophical constructs. The classic orthodox Trinitarian position states that in the being of the one eternal God there are three eternal and essential distinctions—Father, Son and Holy Spirit—yet no separation. In Western Christendom (Catholic Church) the classical formula has been three persons in one substance; in Eastern Christendom (Greek Orthodox Church) three hypostases (distinctions in being) in one being. This formula asserts that the essential being of God consists of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. That is, these three persons or hypostases are essential to God’s nature or being. In other words, essential Trinitarianism asserts that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are essential to God’s existence. The formula for the unity of the one true God’s essential being led to the postulation of the origins of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Trinity doctrine allows for no separation of persons. The doctrine calls for mutual interpenetration of the persons of the Godhead, so that although each person is distinct in relation to the others, nevertheless, each participates fully in the being of the others. The Godhead is thus proclaimed to be one and indivisible. Even though the persons interpenetrate one another, each has a distinct role to play when viewed in relation to the others. These distinctions of roles are most dramatically emphasized in the postulation of the origin of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Father is said to be uncreated and ingenerate. The Father eternally generates the Son. The Holy Spirit proceeds from both the Father and the Son through a process called passive spiration. (The Eastern Church teaches that the Holy Spirit proceeds only from the Father through the Son.) The Father’s eternal generation of the Son is understood to be a necessary and not a willed or voluntary act of God. That is, the act of generation is inherent in the nature and essential being of God. Thus, Trinitarians cannot logically question the preexistence of Christ since, according to their doctrine, the Father eternally generates the Son. Furthermore, according to this formula, the relationship of the Father and Son exists in eternity. The Trinitarian model of the Godhead can be illustrated by using three concentric circles. The Father occupies the center position as He eternally generates the Son; the Son occupies the second circle owing His being to the Father’s generation, while the third circle is the Holy Spirit that proceeds from the Father and the Son. The incarnation of the Son presents Trinitarians with a series of logical inconsistencies. For example, how is the “essential nature” of God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit preserved when the Word is made flesh? If any person in heaven is taken out of the model, the whole paradigm is shattered. Yet Trinitarians contend that the Father continued generating the Son in heaven, even while He was conceived in Mary’s womb and during the time He tabernacled on earth in the flesh. Thus, a “second” Son is introduced—one who is being eternally generated in heaven and one on the earth. Moreover, a fourth entity enters the equation—three in heaven and one on the earth. Page 4 September 2005 © 2005 United Church of God, an International Association THE NATURE OF GOD AND CHRIST Doctrinal Study Paper Theologians have vainly attempted to explain their dilemma away by appealing to the distinctions in the Godhead.